CAT Logarithms, Surds &
Indices Formulas
● “Logarithms, Surds and Indices” is one of the easiest
topics in the quantitative section of the CAT exam.
● Although the number of formulas is high, the basic
concepts are very simple to understand and apply.
● There are no shortcuts to remember and the scope of
the questions that can be asked is very limited.
● The accuracy of answering questions from this
section is very high and good students tend to score
very well here.
● If X,Y > 0 and m,n are rational numbers then
𝑚 𝑛 𝑚+𝑛
➔ 𝑋 ×𝑋 =𝑋
0
➔ 𝑋 =1
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𝑚
𝑋 𝑚−𝑛
➔ 𝑛 =𝑋
𝑋
𝑚 𝑛 𝑚𝑛
➔ ( )
𝑋 =𝑋
𝑚 𝑚 𝑚
➔ 𝑋 × 𝑌 = (𝑋 × 𝑌)
𝑋 𝑚
𝑚
➔
𝑋
𝑌
𝑚 = ( ) 𝑌
−𝑚 1
➔ 𝑋 = 𝑚
𝑋
● If X and Y are positive real numbers and a,b are
rational numbers
𝑋 −𝑎 𝑌 𝑎
➔ ( ) ( )
𝑌
= 𝑋
1/𝑎 𝑎
➔ 𝑋 = 𝑋
𝑎/𝑏 𝑏 𝑎
➔ 𝑋 = 𝑋
𝑎 𝑎 𝑎
➔ 𝑋 × 𝑌 = 𝑋𝑌
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𝑎
𝑋 𝑎 𝑋
➔ 𝑎 = 𝑌
𝑌
1
➔ = 𝑁 + 1+ 𝑁
𝑁+1− 𝑁
● Surds is an irrational number involving a root.
3 5
Ex: 5, 7, 2
● Like surds are two surds having the same number
under radical sign.
● Like surds can be added or subtracted.
6 2+ 3 2= 9 2
● If 𝑎 + 𝑏 = 𝑐 + 𝑑 , then a = c and b = d.
● The conjugate of 𝑎 + 𝑏 is 𝑎 − 𝑏
● 𝑎 𝑎 𝑎..... ∞ = a
1−⎡⎢ 𝑥 ⎤⎥
1
⎣ ⎦
● 𝑎 𝑎 𝑎..... 𝑥 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 = 𝑎 2
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● To find 𝑥 + 𝑦, 𝑥 + 𝑦 should be written in
the form of 𝑚 + 𝑛 + 2 𝑚𝑛 where 𝑥 = 𝑚 + 𝑛
and 4𝑚𝑛 = 𝑦 and 𝑥+ 𝑦=± ( 𝑚 + 𝑛)
𝑥
● If N =𝑎 then, x is defined as the logarithm of N to
base or 𝑥 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑁 a logarithm of a negative
number or zero is not defined
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎1 = 0
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑥𝑦 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑥 + 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑦
𝑐
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑏 = 𝑐 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑏
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑎 = 1
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏𝑥
●𝑋 =𝑌
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𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑏
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑏 = 𝑛
1
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑥 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑥𝑎
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏𝑥
●𝑏 = 𝑥
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑐𝑏
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑏 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑐𝑎
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑏 * 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏𝑎 = 1
● 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 ( ) = 𝑙𝑜𝑔 𝑋 − 𝑙𝑜𝑔 𝑌
𝑋
𝑌 𝑎 𝑎
● If 0 < a < 1, then 𝑙𝑜𝑔 𝑥 < 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑦(𝑖𝑓 𝑥 > 𝑦)
𝑎
● If a > 1 then 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑥 > 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑦 (if x>y)
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